#17 Aztecs Defeat Stanford For First Time Ever 74-62
San Diego State looks “right at home” competing in the Pac-12.
Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & @MWCwire
“We’re not in a Power 5 conference but we’re a Power 5 school.” – Brian Dutcher
Stanford, CA- The #17 San Diego State Aztecs registered their first men’s basketball victory against the ever formidable Stanford Cardinal, at a final score of 74-62, while on the road Tuesday evening, November 15th.
The Aztecs (3-0) put on a dominant show and never trailed the Cardinal (1-2). They are now 1-4 in the all-time series.
“We play pretty hard against anybody we play,” said Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher. “I told them that we’re on a really hard five-game stretch — BYU at home, Stanford, and then three in Maui. Let’s see how we do, if we’re ready for that kind of challenge.”
According to Stanford coach Jerod Haase, “We knew coming in it would be a battle and we’d have to play our A game to be able to get there. I don’t think we played our A game but I also think that (the Aztecs) certainly deserve a lot of credit for playing really well.”
That’s as good a compliment as SDSU will get from a Stanford coach.
San Diego State had a 10-0 run early, building a 17-5 advantage before leading by as many as 17 in the first half. Stanford rallied at the end of the half with a 6-0 run to trim the lead to 41-30. The Cardinal later had a 10-2 run to get within six with 10:10 remaining. The Aztecs then went on a 16-6 dominant drive to crush the Cardinal’s spirit, before registering the win.
For the Aztecs, Lamont Butler sank 11 points and six assists. Keshad Johnson put up 11 as well.
Leading Stanford, Spencer Jones had 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks, and Harrison Ingram chipped in another 11.
An advantage for San Diego State was the ability to score 21 points off 17 Stanford turnovers. SDSU shot 51% from the field, making 8 of 21 3-point attempts.
Among the cadre of Aztec guards were 12 assists and just 1 turnover.
The Aztecs registered a statement victory in their first road game of the season, and simply dominated Stanford in the second half. They did so with depth and offensive tact, along with traditional SDSU ultra-elite defense. The Aztecs showed us why they were #1 in the preseason Mountain West poll.
The Cardinal have lost back-to-back games against Wisconsin and SDSU. Coach Haase still remains one win shy of 100 wins at Stanford.
UP NEXT
San Diego State faces off against Ohio State on Monday, November 21st in the 2022 Maui Jim Invitational in Maui, Hawaii.
